Vietnam braced itself for the arrival of typhoon Rammasun on Friday (July 18), as the storm intensified on its approach to the Northern coastal provinces.
Vietnamese forecasters say the super typhoon, that has already claimed the lives of at least 65 people in the region, is expected to hit the coast near Halong Bay early on Saturday (July 19) morning.
Boat owners were busy securing their vessels after the Halong Bay port authorities ordered 9000 boats and 229 off-shore fishing vessels to come back to shore and take shelter.
Tour boat operator Nguyen Van Thuy is not happy that he will lose a few days of earnings, but said it was better to be safe than sorry.
"After making sure that this will be a huge storm, according to our experience, as well as listening to the news, we have seen to it that we have moved our vessels to harbours to anchor and tie them down in order to safeguard them," he said.
All tourist activities have been suspended until the storm has passed, according to a Quang Ninh waterway representative.
Authorities in localities which could potentially be affected by the typhoon have been placed on full alert and have intensified preparations for potential destruction.
Dykes have been reinforced and dams have been flushed to prevent flooding in the wake of heavy rain.
"Learning from last year's typhoon Haiyan, vessel owners and fishing boat owners have all come to shore. We have teams going around to recheck to be sure of everything," Deputy Secretary of the Van Don People's Committee, Bui Van Can, said.
The super typhoon slammed into China on Friday killing one person, as the government ordered an all-out effort to prevent loss of life from a storm that has already killed at least 64 people in the Philippines.
Typhoon Rammasun, with winds of up to 180 kph (112 mph), made landfall at Wenchang city on south China's island province of Hainan on Friday afternoon, the National Meteorological Centre said on its website.
REUTERS